1996 Morey-Saint-Denis Clos de la Bussières 1er Cru

Christophe Roumier describes both '96 and '95 as vintages high in acidity. "The '96s are richer in fruit, tactile and minerally," he explains, "more like the classic model of Burgundy. But if you fear acidity, you won't like the '96 vintage." Nineteen ninety five, in comparison, is "more aromatically complex and baroque, similar to 1978." Roumier rates the two vintages as roughly equal. Nineteen ninety seven, which featured grape sugars as high as 13.9% at this estate, produced wines with ripe, soft tannins and low acidity; no chaptalization was necessary but some cuvees were acidified. Estate wide yields averaged just 32 hectoliters per hectare. In structure, '97 resembles '85, says Roumier, who noted that the '85s may have been bottled a bit late. At the time of my early November visit, Roumier expected to bottle his '97s by the end of December, the earliest ever at this estate. These wines do not offer the sappy, urgent quality or the razor sharp flavor definition of the two earlier vintages here, but then few Burgundies do.

Christophe Roumier plans to bottle his '96s early to preserve their fruit, but is quick to point out that this rather low-pH vintage has produced very stable wines. He believes that these wines, despite showing lovely sweetness in November, will shut down and become harder after the bottling-will become, in short, more and more like the '95s, which are quite closed now following bottling last April. 1995, says Roumier, produced more subtle, complex, vibrant wines, with more floral aromatics. The 1996s, in comparison, are more fruity and a bit more obvious, and show conspicuous texture early on. Across the Cote d'Or, adds Roumier, there is a direct relationship between yields in '96 and the structure and texture of the resulting wines. It all a matter of balance, Roumier explains: wines from high yields tend to be hollower in the middle, without the material and extract to buffer the relatively strong tannins of the vintage (polyphenol levels were generally high in '96, Roumier notes). As a result, many of these wines show dry tannins, while those from lower crop levels carry their tannins more gracefully.